A nonprofit research and educational institute is suing the State Bar of Michigan on behalf of an attorney who says her First Amendment rights are violated because she must pay dues to and be a member of the association.
Mackinac Center Legal Foundation is suing the state bar on behalf of Laingsburg attorney Lucille Taylor, according to an announcement issued by the foundation Aug. 22. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan.
Taylor, chief legal counsel to former Gov. John Engler and later a special assistant attorney general, claims that the state bar's required membership and dues violate her freedoms from compelled speech and free association, according to the announcement.
"Currently, the state of Michigan legally requires that attorneys must pay an annual bar association fee of $315," the announcement said. "They must also become a member of the State Bar of Michigan, an association which spends money on speech and policy positions that some of its members may not be aligned with."
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